OIC condemns Indian incursion, urges both sides to exercise restraint

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Tuesday condemned India's violation of the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan earlier in the day, urging both countries to exercise restraint.

In the early hours of Tuesday, the Pakistan Army had revealed through a tweet that the "Indian Air Force violated Line of Control", following which "Pakistan Air Force immediately scrambled" and the Indian aircraft went back.

"The General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemned this action against an OIC founding member state," the Organisation stated in one of a series of tweets.

The Twitter statement went on to say that the OIC "condemned the Indian incursion and aerial violation and dropping of four bombs today, 26 February, 2019."

It urged both sides to "exercise restraint and avoid any steps that could endanger peace and security in the region".

The OIC also called upon India and Pakistan "to act responsibly and encouraged them to seek [a] peaceful solution to the current crisis without resort[ing] to use of force".

It further called on them to "embrace dialogue and work towards de-escalation of [the] current situation as a matter of priority".

The OIC statement comes hours after Pakistani politicians in a National Assembly session held in the aftermath of the Indian LoC violation severely criticised the OIC decision to invite Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj as a 'guest of honour' at an inaugural session of the OIC foreign ministers' conclave scheduled for next month in Abu Dhabi.

PML-N stalwart Khwaja Asif suggested that Pakistan boycott the meeting. "It is an insult that our enemy is being invited as a guest of honour by a country friendly to us at a time when Kashmiris are facing bloodshed. It has not happened in the last 45 years," he asserted.

Former NA speaker Ayaz Sadiq also called on the government to raise the issue with the OIC, saying the group had "no power to invite India without seeking the consent of member states".

On Tuesday evening, Geo News quoted Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi as saying that he will boycott the OIC meeting in Abu Dhabi if the invitation to Swaraj is not withdrawn. DN/APP